Poole Pirates v Kings Lynn Stars

Collecting their first piece of silverware under the new Promotion team, the Poole No.1 Carpet Cleaning Pirates' joy was tempered by suffering a home defeat at the hands of King's Lynn.

The meeting suffered a delayed start due to a problem with a deflated air bag, but by the end of the evening it was the Pirates' spirits that were deflated as, on a night of inconistencies all-round, the Pirates allowed a four point lead to slip through their grasp, leaving them grateful for having claimed that double figure victory in Norfolk on Monday.

King's Lynn provided the opening two race winners but Poole filled the minor placings in each, the scores remaining level even when Nicolai Klindt gave the Wimborne Road faithful their first victor of the season.

A 5-1 followed through Kurtz and Busk Jakobsen and the Pirates came close to extending that lead in heat 5 when backmarker Richie Worrall made up significant ground on the heat one runaway winner, Erik Riss. But Worrall's exploits were in vain and he remained scoreless from two. 

Skipper Josh Grajczonek was solid in winning heat 6 but Jack Holder was enduring a miserable night and he could make no impression on Stars' Danes Thomas Jorgensen or Michael Palm-Toft.

Kurtz made it two for two and registered the first sub 61 second time of the season whilst Covatti and Proctor traded places at the rear, the visitor getting the better of the deal. That maintained a four point lead on the night, thus protecting Poole's 10 point first leg advantage, but the Stars rallied with a 5-1 from Riss and Andersen in heat 8, somewhat fortuitously as Busk Jakobsen had made a splendid move off the second turn before he over-rode things, clipped the fence, momentarily regained control and looked to have saved it but lost power and his race was over.

Worrall truly came to the party with an emphatic race win but it epitomised those inconsistencies as previously unbeaten Nicolai Klindt ran the last place thus the scores remained all square for the second leg. Poole looked set to break clear in heat 10 after Lewis Kerr had fallen first time of asking, ruling him out of the re-run. Grajczonek made the start and Holder for a brief moment was in tow but Ty Proctor took on the challenge, picked off the Pirate number one early doors and then set up the skipper, catching him on the final lap to send the sides into the interval at 30-all, still that 10 point margin from Monday the difference between the two sides.

The break was timely for Robert Lambert as he came out after the interval and won solidly with the fastest time of the night which precipitated the first of three personal wins for him over the final five heats, but Covatti and Kurtz covered the places. Heat 12 had the Poole Danes seemingly in control but their rival compatriot, Michael Palm-Toft somehow managed to pass Klindt to split him from Jakobsen but it was the Pirates that broke the deadlock.

Brady Kurtz infringed at the tapes in heat 13 and was replaced by Busk Jakobsen before Lambert gained that second victory, this time with support from his team-mate Jorgensen which inched the visitors ahead for the first time on the night (38-40). Covatti trapped in heat 14 and Worrall rode a great first turn to join the Argentinian on a 5-1 putting Poole back in front by two to settle the destiny of the Premiership Shield. But Lambert and Riss closed the meeting out with a Stars' 5-1 to offer up some consolation for the their efforts.
POOLE 44
J.Holder 1',0,1',1=3+2
J.Grajczonek 2,3,1,2,1=9
N.Klindt 3,3,0,1=7
R.Worrall 0,0,3,2'=5+1
B.Kurtz 3,3,1',TX,0=7+1
N.Covatti 2,0,2,3=7
N.Busk Jakobsen 1',2',R,3,0=6+2

KING'S LYNN 46
R.Lambert 0,2,3,3,3=11
E.Riss 3,1',3,0,2'=9+2
T.Proctor 1',1',3,0=5+2
L.Kerr 2,2,FD,1=5
T.Jorgensen 0,2,1',2'=5+2
M.Palm-Toft 0,1',2,2=5+1
K.Andersen 3,1,2',0=6+1

Ht 1:  E.Riss,  J.Grajczonek,  J.Holder,  R.Lambert 3-3  3-3 |61.35]
Ht 2:  K.Andersen,  N.Covatti,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  M.Palm-Toft 3-3  6-6 [62.08]
Ht 3:  N.Klindt,  L.Kerr,  T.Proctor,  R.Worrall 3-3  9-9 [61.18]
Ht 4:  B.Kurtz,  N.Busk Jakobsen,  K.Andersen,  T.Jorgensen 5-1  14-10 [61.44]
Ht 5:  N.Klindt,  R.Lambert,  E.Riss,  R.Worrall 3-3  17-13 [61.12]
Ht 6:  J.Grajczonek,  T.Jorgensen,  M.Palm-Toft,  J.Holder 3-3  20-16 [61.89]
Ht 7:  B.Kurtz,  L.Kerr,  T.Proctor,  N.Covatti 3-3  23-19 [60.87]
Ht 8:  E.Riss,  K.Andersen,  J.Grajczonek,  N.Busk Jakobsen  (Rtd) 1-5 24-24 [62.9]
Ht 9:  R.Worrall,  M.Palm-Toft,  T.Jorgensen,  N.Klindt 3-3  27-27 [61.82]
Ht 10:  T.Proctor,  J.Grajczonek,  J.Holder,  L.Kerr  (Fell d/q) 3-3  30-30 [62.18]
Ht 11:  R.Lambert,  N.Covatti,  B.Kurtz,  E.Riss 3-3  33-33 [60.51]
Ht 12:  N.Busk Jakobsen,  M.Palm-Toft,  N.Klindt,  T.Proctor 4-2  37-35 [62.63]
Ht 13:  R.Lambert,  T.Jorgensen,  J.Holder,  N.Busk Jakobsen 1-5  38-40 [61.35] 
Ht 14:  N.Covatti,  R.Worrall,  L.Kerr,  K.Andersen 5-1  43-41 [62.48]
Ht 15:  R.Lambert,  E.Riss,  J.Grajczonek,  B.Kurtz 1-5  44-46 [62.18]62.18
Gates: POOLE won toss and chose gates 2&4 | King's Lynn took gates 2&4 in heat 15
Referee Anthony Steele

Rider of the Night: Josh Grajczonek